Five foods to tackle low blood pressure

You can help rebalance your blood pressure with these top foods and drinks If you’ve recently been diagnosed with low pressure, it means your blood pressure readings are consistently 90/60 or lower.¹ Doctors don’t usually consider low blood pressure – or hypotension – an issue because the lower your blood pressure, the lower your risk of heart attack and stroke.² Most of the time, low blood pressure is simply a sign you’re fit and healthy – which is good news!³ But low blood pressure can cause uncomfortable symptoms, including:⁴

• dizziness
• light-headedness
• nausea

Handpicked content: The surprising signs of low blood pressure

5 foods to help low blood pressure

If your symptoms are bothering you, adding these foods and drinks to your diet can help bring your blood pressure back into balance.

1. Up your fluid intake

Drinking more can increase your blood volume, gently raising your blood pressure. Go for water and herbal teas, rather than coffee and colas.⁵

2. Vote green – for veggies

A lack of folate in your diet can sometimes lead to low blood pressure.⁶ Green leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and broccoli are all good sources of folate, so try to include more of these.⁷ Handpicked content: What can I do with kale?

3. Boost your B12

Yeast extract and nutritional yeast are good sources of vitamin B12, as well as folate.^8,9 Low levels of B12 have been shown to contribute to low blood pressure.¹⁰ Handpicked content: What is Vitamin B12 and why is it so important?

4. Super cereals

Wheat germ and other cereals are a good source of folate.¹¹ And vitamin B12 is found in some fortified cereals – check the label.¹² If you’re vegan, it can be particularly difficult to include enough B12 so you could think about taking a supplement.^13/sup>

5. Go for an old-school sweet

Liquorice contains a substance called glycyrrhizin, which works to alter the body’s levels of salts, like potassium and sodium. In turn, this raises the volume of blood, increasing your blood pressure.¹⁴ But only eat it now and again – you don’t want to have high blood pressure, either.

Advice is for information only and should not replace medical care. Please check with your GP before trying any remedies.

Shop our Vitamins and Supplements range Sources 1. NHS Choices. Low blood pressure (hypotension). Available from: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/low-blood-pressure-hypotension/ 2. Blood Pressure UK. What is low blood pressure? Available from: http://www.bloodpressureuk.org/BloodPressureandyou/Thebasics/Whatislow 3. As Source 1 4. Mayo Clinic. Low blood pressure (hypotension). Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/low-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20355465 5. As Source 1 6. As Source 4 7. British Dietetic Association. Food fact sheet: folic acid. Available from: https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/FolicAcid.pdf 8. British Dietetic Association. Food fact sheet: vegetarian diets. Available from: https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/vegetarianfoodfacts.pdf 9. As Source 7 10. Ganjehei L, et al. Orthostatic Hypotension as a Manifestation of Vitamin B12 Deficiency. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3461697/ 11. As Source 7 12. As Source 8 13. Vegan Society. What Every Vegan Should Know About Vitamin B12. Available from: https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/nutrients/vitamin-b12/what-every-vegan-should-know-about-vitamin-b12 14. British Heart Foundation. Could eating liquorice affect my blood pressure? Available from: https://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-matters-magazine/nutrition/ask-the-expert/liquorice